Between the Silence and the Darkness
by aubreysmom
Summary: A routine assignment turns dangerous for Myles and Sue... will tragedy breed a friendship at last? Originally published 12.3.2004
1. Chapter 1

**Between the Silence and the Darkness**  
By aubreysmom

**Disclaimer: **All characters are the property of Paxson Entertainment and Pebblehut Productions.

**Acknowledgements:** I simply must acknowledge my beta-readers, RRP as always - thank you, and especially ducky, who made the ending possible. (gives ducky monster hug!)

**Author's Note: **I wrote out Myles' fingerspelling the way I did for a reason... I wanted to give the reader a sense of the difficulty in communication between Myles and Sue. He barely knows the manual alphabet, and some of the letters are formed in very similar fashions. The ellipses (...) indicate pauses where he's trying to remember the correct handshape. It will get easier to read as he gets used to it.

stfbe-

hr> /hr>

A hard rain pounded the road and made visibility poor as Sue Thomas kept her eyes traveling between her mirrors, the road ahead, and the red GMC pickup truck a few lengths ahead. Levi was curled up in the back seat, asleep.

Traffic was light here on the outskirts of Arlington, Virginia, on a Saturday afternoon, so she was trying to follow the pickup without _looking_ like she was following it. The rain, the first storm in awhile, was making the road slick and only adding to her nervousness at driving someone else's car while tailing a suspect.

A hand touched her arm, and she glanced at the tall form in the passenger seat.  
"Easy— not too close. You don't want to spook him."

Her eyes flipped back to the rain-swept windshield. "Explain to me again why _I'm_ the one driving your car during this."

Myles Leland III leaned forward and turned slightly so she could both see the road and read his lips. "Because Garrett thought it would be a good skill for you to learn. You don't have to be able to hear in order to tail a suspect."

"Oh." She concentrated on the road again as he pulled out his cell phone and called in.

"Tara? We've got the suspect turning north off Route 50 at Westlawn. Getting into horse country, some hills, not sure how cell reception will be with the rain. We'll use the radio if it gets too bad."

"Okay, Myles. We'll hear from you when we hear from you, then."

He replaced the cell phone in its case, and leaned back in the seat. "Good, that's good," he said as Sue glanced at him again. "You want to keep him just enough in your sights that you can see him if he makes a sudden turn."

They drove in silence for a few minutes, the surrounding area becoming more verdant every second. Horse country in Virginia meant rolling hills and lush green expanses, all softened by the rain. Suddenly, the pickup they were watching turned off to the right. Because both Sue and Myles were paying attention to the truck, neither saw the grey sedan in the oncoming lane hit a slick patch on the road and spin out of control toward them until it was too late.

The car broadsided them, sending Myles' car skidding off the road and down a steep hillside. The car rolled a couple of times and came to rest right side up near the bottom of the hill. The surrounding area had been left wild for recreational horsemen; there wasn't another person for miles.

stfbe-

stfbe-

She stirred as she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. Her head felt like someone had slammed it up against a brick wall, and it hurt to even attempt to open her eyes.

Myles shook her again. "Sue?" He could tell she was at least partially conscious, but with her eyes closed, he couldn't talk to her. He sighed heavily, then regretted doing so when a sharp pain flashed through his chest. _Oh, just great. Broken ribs along with a dislocated shoulder. Just great. And I have no way to talk to Sue to find out how badly she's hurt._

Just then, a thought occurred to him. _Maybe I do_. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he actually had learned the manual alphabet. It was just plain New England stubbornness that prevented him from using it unless it was absolutely necessary.

He knelt down next to the open driver's door so he could place her hand over his. Slowly, trying to remember the letters correctly, he finger-spelled into her hand.

S-…-U-…-E

It took a minute, and he had to do it a second time, but finally she tried to open her eyes. "Myles?"

He shook his hand in hers. _Yes_.

"What happened?"

C-A-…-R W-E-N-T O-D-…-F-F R-O-S-…-A-D. C-A-…-N Y-O-U O-…-P-E-N E-…-Y-E-S?

She made a huge effort, and her eyes fluttered open. What she saw was about four of him, all blurry. "Can't see you very well. Very blurry."

E-N-O-U-…-H-G T-O R-E-…-A-D L-I-…-P-S?

She shook her head, then groaned as the pain rolled around again. "No. Sorry."

I-T O-K. Myles knew they were in trouble, though. Blurry vision meant concussion – a bad one.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

He considered how to answer that. B-A-N-…-H-E-D U-PA L-I-…-T-T-L-E. N-O-T T-O-O B-A-D.

"Where's Levi? Is he okay?"

Myles looked up, realizing he'd forgotten all about the Golden Retriever. Fortunately, he saw the big dog running towards them from a few dozen yards away. _He must have gotten thrown out when the doors popped open._ He turned back to Sue. L-E-…-V-I F-I-N-E.

"My head hurts like crazy." She raised her free hand to her forehead.

T-I-M-E T-O C-A-L-L I-N T-…-G-E-N. He let go of her hand and reached for his cell phone.

His heart dropped when he saw the mess of electronic parts falling out of the holster case. _Must have gotten smashed in the rollover_. He had already checked the repeater unit for the radio that was mounted in the glove compartment— it was in similar disrepair. Had it been operating, the 5-watt unit would have extended the mile-range on his headset and allowed him to call in.

He reached for Sue's hand again. P-…-G-O-N-E B-R-O-K-E I-N C-R-A-S-G. W-…-G-E-R-E Y-O-U-R-S?

"Should be right here in my pocket." She reached in to find her Sidekick. "It's not there. Maybe it slipped out onto the floor of the car?"

Myles looked around the remains of his car. I-F D-I-D, M-U-S-T …G-A-V-E B-E-E-N T-G-R-O-W-N O-U-T.

Sue laughed softly.

W-H-A-T

"You've got your 'g' and your 'h' mixed up." She demonstrated for him. "This is 'g' and _this_ is 'h'."

O-H. S-O-R-R-Y.

"It's okay. At least you're trying. I was just getting a worse headache from trying to figure out what you were really saying."

He brought her hand to his face so she could feel his smile, and he nodded.  
She smiled back, then asked, "What about the radio?"

R-E-…-P-E-A-T-E-R U-N-I-T S-M-A-S-…-G…-H-E-D, T-O-O. O-N-L-Y O-N-E M-I-L-E R-A-N-…-G-E O-N .…H-E-A-…-D-S-E-T.

"We're in trouble, aren't we, Myles?" The smile had faded, and her voice sounded pained.

The tall agent looked around them again— wet, steep hillside about 75 feet up, almost dark, still raining, she in no shape to climb the hill and himself likely to puncture a lung trying to do so with broken ribs, no phones, no radio, and the team not having a clue where they were.

He tried to keep his hand from shaking. W-E W-I-L-L B-E F-I-N-E.

stfbe-

stfbe-


	2. Chapter 2

"Shouldn't we have heard from them by now?" Jack Hudson was pacing the Bullpen. It had been two hours since Myles had last called in.

Tara Williams shrugged. "It's possible Everton stopped somewhere, and they're just sitting watching him. If they're still out in those hills, cell reception would be almost impossible."

"What about the radio? Anything?"

"Not a peep."

Bobby Manning put a hand on Jack's shoulder before he could swing around for another lap. "They're fine, Sparky. You worry too much. They were just tailing a suspect— Myles has done that only about a thousand times. What could possibly go wrong?"

stfbe-

stfbe-

Myles breathed a prayer of thanks for the fact that the back seat folded down to allow trunk access, since the only tool he could have pried the trunk open with was _in_ the trunk; he grabbed the emergency kit and pulled it out. Unfortunately, his weight shifted the car just enough that it started to slide further down the hill. Sue screamed, not knowing what was happening; he turned to place a reassuring hand on her arm, wincing as his shoulder hit the back seat, and trying to stay balanced as the car slid over the uneven ground.

There was a screeching sound as the back door was torn off; the jagged metal edge caught him mid-thigh and sliced deeply into his skin. He only partially stifled the cry of pain that escaped his lips.

The car came to rest at the bottom of the hill. As soon as it stopped moving, Myles ripped off his tie, tying it around his leg in an attempt to stop the flow of blood. It wasn't easy to do with only his right arm functioning. "Oh, lovely," he muttered to himself. He looked heavenward for a moment. "Anything else? On second thought, never mind. I don't want to know."

Sue's voice was panicked. "Myles!"

He reached over the driver's seat and found her hand. YES.

"What happened? And is it going to happen again?"

As grave as the situation was, her last question made him laugh. C-A-R S-L-I-D. B-O-T-T-O-M O-F…H-I-L-L N-O-W. S-H-O-U-L-D S-T-A-Y P-U-T.

She must have caught a tremor in his hand. "Are you all right?"

He refrained from running the litany of what _wasn't_ all right through his head. F-I-N-E. …G-E-T Y-O-U O-U-T O-F …J-A-M-M-E-D S-E-A-T-B-E-L-T. G-O-T K-N-I-…F-E I-N E-M-E-R-G-E-N-C-Y K-I-T.

With great care, he eased out of the back seat and returned to his spot next to her, well aware of the trickle of blood running down his leg as he moved. _Got to get settled before long; can't go into shock…_ He focused on slashing the lap and shoulder belts pinning his colleague in her seat.

Once the seatbelt was undone, he gently eased her legs out from under the steering column. S-T-I-L-L R-A-I-N-I-N-G, he told her. B-E-S-T S-G-…-H-E-L-T-E-R B-A-C-K S-E-A-T. C-A-N Y-O-U M-O-V-E L-E-G-S?

She gingerly tested her legs. "Yes."

O-K. N-E-E-D Y-O-U-R …H-E-L-P L-I-T-T-L-E. He put his good arm around her waist and helped her stand.

She swayed a little, a wave of dizziness hitting, but she was fairly steady until she tried to sit down on the back seat. Her foot slipped in the wet grass, and she automatically grabbed onto him, hitting his shoulder and leaning against his ribs. Sue felt the gasp of pain he let out, and as soon as she was seated she gently confronted him.

"I thought you said you were just a little banged up."

He didn't respond, just helped her get her legs back inside the car, then sat down heavily next to her, his eyes shut tightly as another wave of pain hit.

"Myles?"

He tried to answer, but any movement right now was too much. Then he felt soft fur push its way under his hand. He petted Levi for a moment, surprised at the strength he could draw from so simple a gesture. "Thanks, boy," he whispered.

The honey-colored dog whined, then moved out around the car and climbed in the passenger side back door opening, the door having sprung open during the final slide down the hill. Levi crawled in next to Sue and laid his head in her lap.

She tried again, more insistent this time, and reached out for her colleague. "Myles?"

Now he could answer. YES.

"How bad is it? Really. And don't tell me you're fine. I know better."

He sighed, wincing again at the pain in his ribs. C-O-U-…-P-L-E B-U-S-T-E-D R-I-B-S A-T L-E-A-S-T, P-L-U-S D-I-…-S-L-O-C-A-T-E-D S-H-O-U-L-D-E-R, G-A-S-G-…-H I-N L-E-G P-R-E-T-T-Y D-E-E-…-P. C-O-U-L-D B-E W-O-R-…-S-E.

She leaned her head back against the seat. "Mind telling me how?"

He eased his leg up onto the console between the front seats, trying to keep it elevated to slow the bleeding. I C-O-U-L-…-D B-E S-T-U-C-K G-…-H-E-R-E W-I-T-H M-A-N-N-I-N-G.

Her breath came out in a laugh, and she shook her head, very slowly. "You are unreal, you know that? Is there anything in that emergency kit we could use to splint up your shoulder?"

T-…-H-I-N-…-K S-O.

"Then it's my turn to help. It may just take me a minute."


	3. Chapter 3

"Jack?" Tara's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

She hung up the phone. "That was SOG. They just sighted Brad Everton at a gas station in D.C."

He looked puzzled. "Any sign of Myles and Sue?"

"No. That's the weird part. I asked them to check around for a few blocks, but there's no sign of Myles' car anywhere."

"Did you try them on the radio? Their cells?" The nagging worry he'd had for the last five hours was getting worse.

"Working on that right now. So far, nothing."

"Keep trying. The storm and the terrain might mess with cell reception, but the radio should still work, and the repeater unit in the car could reach all the way from Richmond, if it had to." He grabbed his coat. "Bobby, come on."

The tall Aussie looked up from his paperwork. "Where are we going?"

"Out toward Westlawn. I just have a feeling something's wrong. Where we they the last time Myles called in, Tara?"

Tara's curls bounced as she turned to check her notes. "3:30 pm: They were just turning off Route 50 at the Westlawn exit. Jack, it's full dark now— if something _did_ happen to them, you're going to have a hard time finding them out in those hills."

Jack nodded. "I know; but I can't shake this feeling, and I have to do _something_. Call D and Lucy— tell them to saddle up and get in here. When they do, call me and we'll figure out what to do next, if anything. Bobby, let's go."

stfbe-

stfbe-

A small battery-powered lamp was the only thing that permeated the darkness. Rain continued to pound on the roof of the car, but at least the wind wasn't blowing. _Thank heaven for small miracles_, Myles thought. He checked his watch in the dim light; 10:30. They'd been stuck for almost seven hours.

It had taken them about a half hour to get his shoulder immobilized, since she was very dizzy and nearly blind, and he'd only had one hand to help. But that pain had subsided somewhat, and it was easier to focus.

There hadn't been a large enough bandage left in the kit to both pack _and_ wrap his leg, since the triangular was on his shoulder; then Sue had a thought and pulled off the scarf she was wearing with her coat. A brief argument had ensued:

NO.

"Why not?"

I-T S-I-L-K.

"Then it should be worthy of a Leland."

A-L-S-O Y-O-U-R F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E.

"How would you know that?"

W-E-A-R E-V-E-R-Y D-A-Y.

It surprised her that he'd noticed. "And it's mine to do with as I please."

S-U-E.

"Myles, shut up and hold this in place before I change my mind and wrap it around your neck instead."

He had laughed at that, wincing as his ribs hurt, but not able to stop himself. Y-E-S S-I-R

His ribs hurt increasingly whenever he took a breath now, but at least he was in no immediate danger of bleeding to death. He was more concerned, though, about his colleague.

Sue's head drooped against his shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. He reached for her hand. H-E-Y. N-O-N-E T-H-A-T. Y-O-U ST-A-Y A-W-A-K-E.

She smiled. "You're getting pretty fast at your finger-spelling."

G-E-T-T-I-N-G M-U-C-H P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E. He felt her shiver. Y-O-U C-O-L-D?

"A little."

C-A-N F-I-X T-H-A-T A-T L-E-A-S-T. He pulled a blanket out of the emergency kit and spread it over her legs. B-E-T-T-E-R?

"Yes. But what about you? You're the one that's been out in the rain. You must be about frozen."

Y-O-U T-H-I-N-K J-A-C-K F-O-R-G-I-V-E M-E?

Sue laughed softly. "I won't tell him if you don't."

O-K He gingerly slid over a little and put his good arm around her, then rearranged the blanket. N-O-W, M-I-S-S T-H-O-M-A-S,E-X-P-E-C-T Y-O-US-T-A-Y A-W-A-K-E.T-A-L-KT-O M-E.R-E-A-L-I-Z-E-D D-O-N-T R-E-A-L-L-Y K-N-O-W Y-O-U M-U-C-H, B-E-S-I-D-E-S W-O-R-K.

"I could say the same thing about you."

T-R-U-E. B-U-T G-I-V-E H-A-N-D C-H-A-N-C-E U-N-C-R-A-M-P. T-H-E-N F-A-I-R T-R-A-D-E. O-K?

Her breath came out in a laugh again, although it sounded pained. "That's a deal. Well, let's see..."

stfbe-

stfbe-

"Tara?" Bobby's voice came over the radio.

"Bobby, it's Lucy. Tara and D are headed out to help you look for them."

"Righto. Welcome aboard." The Aussie leaned back in the passenger seat. "Jack and I are just swinging around to go up to Route 29, just in case Everton took 'em up that way."

"All right. I have calls in to the PDs for Arlington, Westlawn, and Falls Church, just in case anyone reported an accident. What do you want me to tell D and Tara?"

Dimitrius' voice piped in. "Yeah, where do you want us at?"

Bobby looked over at Jack. "Your call, Sparky."

Jack thought for a moment. "D, why don't you guys swing down the 29, then continue around to the 50 and backtrack where we just were. Catch it twice, maybe we'll get lucky."

The older man's voice replied again after a pause. "Jack, we could just wait 'til daybreak. It'll be a bona fide miracle to find them in the dark, if they took a spill off one of those hills."

"He's got a point, mate," Bobby agreed. "It's almost midnight."

Jack sighed. "Look, guys, I know this is a long shot. But I can't shake this feeling that we don't _have_ until daybreak."

stfbe-

stfbe-


	4. Chapter 4

"Myles?" She reached up to put her hand over his. The reply came very slowly this time.

S-…-T-…-I-…-L-…-L H-…-E-…-R-…-E

"What? I put you to sleep with my life story?" He could hear the smile in her voice. "How long have I been talking, anyway?"

A pause as she assumed he was checking his watch. C-O-U…-P-L-E H-…-O-U-…-R-S. N-O-T A-S-…-L-…-E-E-…-P. J-U-…-S-T …L-I-…-T-T-…L-E L-I-…-G-H-T- H-…-E-A-…D-E-D.

"We got the bleeding stopped in your leg. What's wrong?" When he didn't answer right away, she freed her hand from his and reached over to touch his face. "Myles, you're burning up!"

He nodded against her hand, then reached for her other one. G-A-S-…-H I-N L-…-E-G P-R-O-…-B-A-B-…-L-Y I-N-F-…-E-C-…-T-E-D.

Sue thought for a minute. _What can I do? We're stuck here... _

Levi suddenly shifted his head in her lap, and she gasped. "Myles!"

W-H-A-...-T

"I am a _complete_ idiot!"

There was a pause, and she could picture him raising an eyebrow at her and refraining from a sardonic quip. E-X-C-U-S-E M-E?

"Levi!" At the sound of her voice, the Golden Retriever lifted his head. "Go, buddy! Go get some help!" The big dog licked her face, barked once, and took off like a shot.

She felt Myles chuckle next to her. B-O-T-H I-D-I-O-T-S. D-I-D-N-T T-H-I-N-...-K T-H-A-T E-I-T-H-E-R.

"Now, Agent Leland, I believe you said 'fair trade.' I expect _you_ to stay coherent enough to tell me a little about you. I'd never met a bona fide 'aristocrat,' before you."

Another brief laugh. N-O-T A-L-W-A-Y-S A-L-L C-R-A-C-K-E-D U-P T-O B-E. B-E-L-I-E-V-E M-E.

"Well, then, it seems only fair that you should enlighten me. You said 'fair trade.'"

D-I-D S-A-Y T-H-A-T, D-I-D-N-T I? A-L-L R-I-G-H-T...

stfbe-

stfbe-

The longer they searched, the more Jack's nagging feeling was getting to all of them. It had been eleven hours; it was 2:30 in the morning, still pitch-black, but the rain was finally letting up.

Bobby rubbed his eyes. "Luce? Anything?" There was a long silence on the other end. "Lucy?"

When her voice finally came back on the radio, there was something different about it. "Guys? We may have something."

Two cars, thirty miles apart, immediately braked to the sides of their respective roads, and four voices were like surround-sound in her headset. "What?"

"I just got off the phone with Westlawn PD. They had a lady come in a few minutes ago, pretty shook up. She apparently was involved in a car accident yesterday afternoon."

Jack's voice was incredulous. "And she just _now_ got around to reporting it? Why'd she leave the scene, anyway?"

"She panicked, Jack," Lucy replied. "Apparently, she hit a slick patch on the road, broadsided another car and sent it down over a hillside. She doesn't own a cell phone, and she's about 80. She went to find help, but in her panic she got turned around, and got herself lost. Another motorist finally found her, and brought her into Westlawn."

"Got a description on the car she hit?" D asked.

"A blue sedan was as much as she could remember. But she says there were two people in it, and she remembers the driver was a blonde woman."

Jack slapped his steering wheel. "That's _got_ to be them! Luce, where was she when all this happened?"

Lucy's voice held the same excitement he was feeling. "About five miles west of the Route 50 exit to Westlawn is as near as Westlawn PD could extrapolate. She was heading toward Arlington, and the car went over the hillside on the opposite side of the road."

Dimitrius started the car up again. "We're only a couple of miles from there, Jack."

"Go! Don't wait for us."

stfbe-

stfbe-

...S-P-E-N-T T-...-G-...-R-...-E-E Y-E-A-...-R- ... H-A-...-R-S-...F-...O-...-R-D O-...F-F-...-I-C-E, ...T-...-H-...E-N H-...-E-...R-...E

"Myles?" She didn't realize it, but her voice was as slurring. The lamp's batteries had given out, and her only link to anything was his hand in hers.

YES. He made the gesture very slowly.

"It's okay. They'll find us. Take a break."

I S-O-...-R-R-..Y

"For what?"

She felt him draw a breath. His hand straightened a little as he signed it: W-A-Y I T-R-E-A-T-E-D Y-O-U F-I-R-S-T.

"It's ok. I didn't exactly help by starting off getting you in trouble with Lucy."

W-A-S O-W-N F-A-U-L-T A-N-D T-O-O-K O-U-T O-N Y-O-U. There was a pause. C-A-N Y-O-U F-O-R-G-I-V-E M-E?

"I did a long time ago."

He nodded against her hair, and she felt him relax a little. T-H-N-A-K Y-U-O.

The spelling caught her attention, even as disoriented as she was. "Myles?" There was no response; she could still feel him breathing, but he was clearly out of it.

_Hurry, Levi,_ she thought as she twined her fingers though her friend's. _Please, just hurry._

stfbe-

stfbe-


	5. Chapter 5

"Myles!" Tara yelled as loudly as she could into the darkness. She and Dimitrius were standing on the edge of the road. D was setting up a spotlight that plugged into the lighter, since with the clouds it was so dark they could barely see each other.

He straightened up and began to pan down the hillside with the powerful beam. "There's where a car left the pavement. They could still be anywhere within a quarter mile of either side, though. Who knows where the car rolled to."

She sighed. "I know. But my voice can carry that far, if anyone's awake enough to hear me."

His grin came through in his voice. "I've heard you mad. I don't doubt it."  
She let loose a shrill whistle as she walked down the road a bit. "Levi! Can you hear me, buddy?" Another whistle followed.

"This is the right place, from what Lucy told us," D muttered, continuing to pan the spotlight. "Unless the lady was off by a couple miles and I'm looking at where somebody just slipped a little."

Suddenly he heard Tara give a whoop, and he turned the light toward her. The shorter woman was on the ground, laughing as she was being kissed repeatedly by a soaking wet Levi. "Whoah, buddy! Okay, okay!"

Twenty minutes later, after slowy working their way down the wet hillside, D's voice came over the radio. "Jack? Guys? We found them. Better get a couple ambulances - they're in pretty rough shape."

stfbe-

stfbe-

"Myles." Dimitrius' voice slowly worked its way through the haze of fever.

"D?" he replied faintly.

"You got it, my friend. Just hang in there." D grinned. "Although, you might want get your arm out from around Sue before Jack gets here."

Myles' breath came out in a laugh, followed by a wince and a grunt of pain. "Yeah. Thought… about that. Good thing…you guys who found us."

Tara was on the other side of the car. She shook Sue gently. "Sue?"

Myles held out a hand. "She's got...bad concussion...can't see you...spell...into her hand..."

"Ah. Gotcha." She did so, speaking as she spelled. "Sue? Can you understand me?"

There was a groan and a very slow nod. "Who—?"

"It's Tara. It's going to be ok."

Sue smiled as Levi licked her face. "Good boy, Levi. I knew you'd find them." She reached over and found Myles' hand. "Myles? You okay?"

A-M N-O-W. He squeezed her hand. T-O-L-DU T-A-K-E C-A-R-E U

She shook her hand in his. YES. D-I-D.

stfbe-

stfbe-

"They're both going to be just fine," the doctor said to the anxious knot of people in the waiting room. "Miss Thomas sustained a moderate concussion, but she seems to be doing better. Her vision is clearing a little, which is a very good sign. I expect she'll be able to go home in a couple of days, and be back to work in about a week."

"What about Myles?" Dimitrius asked.

"Mr. Leland should be up and about in approximately the same time period, although he'll be at his desk while his shoulder and ribs heal. The cut on his leg was deep, but there wasn't any permanent damage – a couple dozen stitches, couple of units of blood, and some antibiotics for the infection. His fever is still up, but he's stabilized. The fever should go down in the next few hours."

There was a round of relieved sighs. "Can we see either of them yet?" Jack voiced it for all of them.

The doctor thought for a moment. "Well, at this point they're both exhausted, but a few minutes should be all right. Just keep it brief, and preferably only one visitor each."

As much as Jack would have liked to be the one, he let Lucy go in to see Sue. There was something else he felt he needed to do.

Myles looked like he was asleep, but a pair of hazel eyes opened when Jack walked over to him. "Rate I'm…going with cars…figure you all will have…some infantile nickname for me next."

Jack laughed. "I'll tell Bobby to start thinking up one."

"Don't…you dare."

"Ok. I'll hold off— for now. How you feeling?"

The taller agent sighed. "Well, the room has…stopped spinning. I suppose that's a…good sign. It's kind of weird, though."

"What?"

"To be having a...vocal conversation. Spent twelve hours...in virtual silence. Well, she was speaking, but…"

Jack nodded. "I understand - a little. Never spent twelve hours just signing, but it does make me see things differently whenever I talk to her in her language for any length of time."

Myles nodded. "Definitely."

"Well, the doctor said I could only stay a few minutes, but I wanted to see how you were doing."

"Appreciate…the gesture."

Jack turned to leave, then stopped. "Myles?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks, for...well, you know...for taking care of her."

Myles laughed softly. "You're not the only one...who cares, Jack. You just care...a little differently, that's all. But...you're quite welcome."

stfbe-

stfbe-


	6. Chapter 6 FINIS

A week later, Sue was waiting for the elevator in the office lobby. It was her first day back at work, and she was looking forward to it. In fact, she'd been looking forward to it so much that she was an hour early.

"Good morning, Miss Thomas!" Levi jumped up to let her know someone was talking to her. Sue turned around to see Myles coming toward her. Aside from his arm, which was still in a sling, he looked ready to take on the world. He repeated his greeting.

"Good morning," she replied. "You look in a lot better shape than the last time I saw you."

"May I respond in kind." At her puzzled expression, he smiled. "So do you."  
"Oh. Thank you." The elevator doors opened, and they both stepped in. "How's the shoulder?"

"Healing nicely, from what I was told. Ribs still hurt a little, but I'm glad to be back at work."

She nodded. "That makes both of us." The elevator doors opened and they walked into the empty Bullpen. He stepped out ahead of her and headed toward his desk.

Sue went over to the coffee station and set a pot brewing. Then she turned around and walked over to her own desk. There was a flat white box sitting on it, which she opened. Inside was a beautiful silk scarf. She looked up.  
"You didn't have to do this."

He got up from his chair and came over to lean against her desk as she sat down. "Well, since yours got ruined on my account, it seemed only fair. I'm sorry I couldn't find the exact pattern; I did look." He smiled a little ruefully. "You could also call it an apology for my atrocious sentence structure while I was fingerspelling. I was trying to subject you to as little of my inexpertise as possible."

She laughed. "Actually, you did extremely well."

Blond eyebrows went straight up. "You've _got_ to be kidding."

Sue held out a hand as she explained. "No. The way you fingerspelled everything to me was actually _easier_ for me to understand, simply because ASL is a visual language; it uses nouns, verbs, adjectives, but not a lot of the 'extra' words that spoken English uses. A 'gloss' in ASL would be considered an 'abstract,' I guess you'd call it, in English."

He nodded in understanding, and she continued, "Even with Signed Exact English, or SEE, which is actually the closest to what you were doing, small words like 'the,' 'an,' 'to,'— things like that— are usually dropped, as well as many suffixes. When Jack or Lucy sign with me, they usually use Pidgin Signed English, which uses elements of both."

"So, if I had been 'grammatically correct,' from an English point of view, it would have probably given you a worse headache."

She smiled. "Yes. So thank you." She signed it as she spoke it.

He looked at her for a long moment, then signed WELCOME As her eyes widened, he shrugged a bit, smiling, then signed, spelling where he was unsure, WE G-O-O-D team. THANK YOU, T-O-O.

She nodded as Levi nudged her to let her know someone was coming. Myles looked up, and abruptly headed back to his desk. Sue laughed softly at him, shaking her head, then turned as Tara gave her a big hug.

"Welcome back, you two." Bobby Manning was right behind Tara. "I see, Miss Thomas, that you survived not only a concussion, but twelve hours stuck in the middle of nowhere with Myles as your only company. Care to comment on how you managed to stay sane?" He tossed a grin at Myles, then turned back around to Sue.

Sue glanced over Bobby's shoulder. Myles looked up at her, checking to see if anyone was paying attention, then signed OUR S-E-C-R-E-T. PLEASE. She smiled brilliantly, then replied, quite truthfully, to Bobby.

"I couldn't hear a word he said. That made all the difference in the world."

FIN


End file.
